Anyone have an easy method for gutting the CAT. I'd like to have in installed but empty.

While on exhaust... does anyone have any experience with the downpipes from SS diesel supply?

Just so you know its not a cat its a particulate filter, and its highly illegal to remove or tamper with it....

That being said the easiest way is to gain access to one open side of it and find a 2" or smaller piece of metal pipe and start busting all the insides out and then just blow it out the tail pipe if you think its busted small enough....

I have hear that a piece of 1" conduit does a great job of slicing and dicing the honeycomb structure of the cat. I have no personal experience in this matter, but I know that it works very, very well.

Jake

the way i gutted mine is i took a drill bit extension stuck it in my drill then took like a 1 inch or bigger paddle bit and just went at it. it does a good job of turning that stuff into powder. then just fire it up and stand back. Ive also used a piece of reebar and a hammer, good way to take out anger:D

I can't legally tell u how but hypathetically if i could, hears how, Take somthin solid and long and jam it in and pound it with a hammer. If u don't want the big open volume, slide a piece of pipe inside and weld it up!

If it is completely gutted, does it resonate?

I would have done it if I did. Some of the cats have the pipe on either end that come off it not striaght so it cannot be punched through as easily as ones that are a striaght shot. What I would do it I were going to do it as a test only would be to cut a 4x4 square with a whiz wheel out of the top(the part that face the floor of the truck, you will need to remove the cat to do this operation) Then with that access hole take a chisel and bash out the ceramic. Make sure to use a scaper to get all the insulation out after the ceramic is removed as you don't want that getting clogged in the muffler later on. Then either mig(would be my choice) or braze the piece back in. It will make no difference in sound and the truck will thank you as long as you live in a place that would be legal to do such a thing. Make sure it's weld up good. You don't want annoying pinholes. When reinstalled you cannot tell by visual inspection. Remeber this is illegal to do in USA and may not pass inspection in your locality. This information is for educational purposes only.

It is a"trap oxidizer", not a cat converter. Retains particulate at low engine speeds then Oxidizes the particulate at higher engine speed & load. I would like to witness a before & after with a back pressure gauge. That would be informational as to whether there is a measurable gain in power to the wheels Both after in town use & again after vigorous running on the highway. I would never damage one as I think you might be damaging / throwing away an expensive part that has to be purchased new in the future.JMO

I would have done it if I did. Some of the cats have the pipe on either end that come off it not striaght so it cannot be punched through as easily as ones that are a striaght shot. What I would do it I were going to do it as a test only would be to cut a 4x4 square with a whiz wheel out of the top(the part that face the floor of the truck, you will need to remove the cat to do this operation) Then with that access hole take a chisel and bash out the ceramic. Make sure to use a scaper to get all the insulation out after the ceramic is removed as you don't want that getting clogged in the muffler later on. Then either mig(would be my choice) or braze the piece back in. It will make no difference in sound and the truck will thank you as long as you live in a place that would be legal to do such a thing. Make sure it's weld up good. You don't want annoying pinholes. When reinstalled you cannot tell by visual inspection. Remeber this is illegal to do in USA and may not pass inspection in your locality. This information is for educational purposes only.

Exactly what I did.

Yep.. just punch it out with a hammer and a long chisel or something like that. It will amplify the sound quite a bit if you leave it hollow.. Sticking a pipe in and welding it up would be a good way to keep from getting a hollow sounding exhaust. I 'witnessed' this to a car years ago and the odor in stop and go traffic was pretty nasty coming from my exhaust. I did 'witness' notice some power and alot more sound. As everyone else said tho- very illegal gotta be careful. Depending on your state this might be your only way to pass an inspection if you are trying to go to a straigt pipe axhaust tho

Maybe I am missing something. Why would you go through the time and effort to clean it out? Why not Just cut it out and add a pipe where it once was? I know every state is different but here in progressive/liberal California where they are supposedly concerned about the environment, diesels are not checked for smog or even inspected.

I gutted them on my Vette and they made it much louder and tons of power there but hadn't done the Diesel. i used a 1" and 2" rigid pipe n the vette and kept hitting the insides till it all fell out the inlet and outlet. but the vette has a 3" in & out pipes.

and yes as i know of Cats aren't required on any diesel in any state.

Maybe I am missing something. Why would you go through the time and effort to clean it out? Why not Just cut it out and add a pipe where it once was? I know every state is different but here in progressive/liberal California where they are supposedly concerned about the environment, diesels are not checked for smog or even inspected.

NY and CT do Emmisions and visually check.

If it is clean and not clogged. However most of these "Particulate filters" from what I am told do not get hot enough(700+ degrees needed) to effiecently burn off the soot so instead it collects and clogs and can cause problems(including overheating). I disagree about the sound difference. I "know" someone who gutted it completely (in another country of course) and it did not sound any different at all and there was a slight power /cooling improvement.
I'd like to add that unless you can the stock muffler elimimating the cat(in a place where this is legal of course) won't do a whole lot but with a 4' exhaust, I think that will do alot. Stock mufflers are chokers.

I would never damage one as I think you might be damaging / throwing away an expensive part that has to be purchased new in the future.JMO

I have a spare sitting in my garage anyway.

and yes as i know of Cats aren't required on any diesel in any state.

Here, if it was built with one, it has to have one to pass state inspection.

Regarding the downpipe. I bought the SS unit and it didn't fit. After talking to Walt we determined that the motor mounts were shot and the engine had shifted just enough to make the downpipe impossible to install. I had a buddy (GM dealer tech) install the mounts (that were shot) but haven't had time to do the downpipe yet. I do not anticipate any problems now.

Lance

Regarding the downpipe. I bought the SS unit and it didn't fit. After talking to Walt we determined that the motor mounts were shot and the engine had shifted just enough to make the downpipe impossible to install. I had a buddy (GM dealer tech) install the mounts (that were shot) but haven't had time to do the downpipe yet. I do not anticipate any problems now.

Lance

Let me know how that SS Diesel downpipe install works out.

I'm going to try to install my SSD downpipe this weekend, i'll let ya know if i have any problems.
Don